2016-06-16

Weekly short track stock car racers are widely known for going fast and turning left. After 6 seasons of wheeling a Mini Stock at a variety of different speedways, Danny Benedict decided it was time to take his career in a different direction. The 19 year-old from Orono, Ontario – who recently completed the Powerline Technician program at Algonquin College in Ottawa – began the 2016 season racing in the headline Late Model division at Sunset Speedway.

"Our efforts this season are focused on just one track, but I think we're actually racing more than we ever have before," said the talented rookie, who less than 2 months into his freshman season, scored his first career top 10 finish on Saturday, June 11th and currently sits near the top 20 in track points as one of the top rookies in the field. "At each show we're practicing, qualifying and running a pair of 35 lap feature events. That's a lot of track time, but its also the perfect environment to learn about a new car, a different division and to fill our notebook with plenty of set-up information."

With starting fields numbering in the mid to upper 20's on a regular basis and 29 drivers scoring points in the division this season, many people would understand if Benedict was even slightly intimidated by what could be considered as a daunting task. The driver known as 'The Showstopper' by his family, friends and fans has maintained a positive attitude and looks at the new experience as a growth opportunity that will help further develop his talents behind the wheel.

"From the moment we first announced that we were switching to the Late Model program, Dad and I have had a number of people including Dan McHattie, Scott Shaw and Linc and Bailey Brown step-up to offer their help; whether behind the scenes in the shop or on raceday," said Benedict. "That's one of the best things about racing at this level. No matter how badly someone wants to beat you on the track, they'll always help you find a package that'll work when the green flag falls."